Built to last? A law in France to combat planned obsolescence for appliances

Planned obsolescence occurs when a product is designed with the intention of it breaking, failing or becoming unfashionable after a determined period of time. A new government decree in France no. 2014-1482, which came into force in March 2015 is aimed at fighting this business practice in the appliances industry. This is just part of a larger movement against planned and built-in obsolescence across the European Union.

If you have ever owned a fridge, a mobile phone or even a pair of stockings, that were easier to replace than repair, you have experienced planned obsolescence first hand. It is defined in the French Act on the Energy Transition as any scheme through which a product has “its life intentionally reduced from its conception, limiting its usage period for reasons of economic model.”

Differing Views on Planned Obsolescence

There are arguments for and against planned obsolescence. The ‘for’ camp argues that rapid change on the market leads to faster innovation, new technology and more competitiveness, which benefits everyone, including end buyers. Consumers tend to lean towards the ‘against’ camp and highlight the increased waste, energy consumption, as well as financial resources involved in continually buying new generation products to replace their old, irreparable ones.

The EU’s Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive stipulates minimum requirements, and gives the Member States the freedom to enforce stricter conditions. It is the overall desire to increase the durability of products, while having more transparency about the life span of products and availability of spare parts, which led to this new legislation in France, closely following the regulations contained in Article 6 of the French Consumers’ Law1 (published March 2014).

The new decree is only applicable in France, to French manufacturers, who will now be required to tell consumers how long their appliances are intended to last. If they want to avoid a potential fine of EUR 15,000 manufacturers must also notify buyers about the period of time that spare parts will be available for each product, after its release date. And that’s not all – from 2016, manufacturers are required to repair or replace, free of charge, any defective product within two years from its original purchase date. This will effectively create a mandatory two-year warranty for products such as stoves, washing machines, and mobile phones.

EU-Wide Initiatives Are In Discussion

The French decree is part of a wider movement against planned and builtin obsolescence across the EU. The Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) is developing a project, initiated by the European Economic and Social Committee, to create an action plan for more sustainable consumption patterns. This is coupled with a desire to establish product labelling best practices, which would include details about product durability and expected lifetime. At the core of this project is the CCMI opinion “CCMI/112 Towards more sustainable consumption: industrial product lifetimes and restoring trust through consumer information”2 which was adopted on 17 October 2013, and is proposing a total ban on planned obsolescence.

Legislation against obsolescence is not enough on its own; it requires a body that could assist with its implementation and enforcement. The Component Obsolescence Group (COG) established the International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM) in January 2015. The IIOM aims to expand its reach to a wider range of industries involving materials, software, mechanical, electrical, and electronics components and to provide training to practitioners in obsolescence management.

All of these legal documents and actions represent important steps forward towards protecting EU consumers by offering them more details about a product’s durability and life span. In turn this will help them make more informed and sustainable buying decisions.

Planned Obsolescence Is the Tip Of The Iceberg

A fast product turnover on the market is a well-known way to boost the economy and encourage growth. But in the long term, it might generate a purchasing frenzy that induces tension in consumer’s budgets, and the frustration of not being able to acquire the latest, state-of-the-art devices. It also accelerates the depletion of natural resources and increases the pressure on the environment.

In order to identify a more sustainable approach several companies have started working on new business models that go beyond planned obsolescence. Strategies based on functionality or circular economy are emerging and proving successful in their specific market: vehicles, stamping machines, printers are just three examples demonstrating the feasibility of these different approaches. A challenge for the manufacturers is to generate trust in their products and system in the long term.

By helping increasing trust in products and bringing transparency to processes, SGS supports innovative projects in their quest to achieve market success. Find more information on SGS Sustinability Services for the electronics industry.